The United States-Andean Free Trade Agreement

 What is the U.S.-Andean Free Trade Agreement?
The U.S.-Andean Free Trade Agreement (AFTA) is a proposed multilateral trade and investment treaty between the United States, Colombia, Peru, and Ecuador. Currently Bolivia is solely observing the trade talks and Venezuela, which is skeptical, is completely out of the discussion. This FTA is just another precursor to the Free Trade of the Americas Agreement (FTAA), modeled directly after the Central American Free Trade Agreement (CAFTA). The AFTA is proposed to conclude by January of 2005.

The United States is also negotiating an international business treaty with Colombia, one of the worst human rights abusers in the world and named the most danger country for labor activist in the world having almost 200 labor union activist assassinations last year. Haggling trade agreements with a country with labor oppression at this scale is unconscionable.

Additional Resources:

Americas Policy, www.americaspolicy.org

Center for Economic and Policy Research, www.cepr.net

Citizens Trade Campaign, www.citizenstrade.org/andean.php

U.S. Trade Representative, http://www.ustr.gov/Trade_Agreements/Bilateral/Andean_FTA/Section_Index.html

Southern Center for International Studies, http://www.southerncenter.org

State Department, www.state.gov

Washington Office on Latin America, http://www.wola.org/